Thomas Billinton and the Philosopher's Stone
by jriddle41
Summary: In the world of magic, Thomas Billinton, an orphaned boy with a lightning scar on his forehead, will face many challenges, make new friends, and face off against the Dark Lord Diesel Ten. This year, he will first learn the basics of magic in Sodor School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
1. Magic and Mischief

**Thomas Billinton and the Philosopher's Stone**

Based on Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle

Chapter 1: Magic and Mischief

It was a dark night in Brighton. In a neighborhood street called Terrier Grove, an elderly gentlemen with white hair and glasses walked out from a forest. The man stopped at the start of the street and too a small mechanical device out from his pocket. Pointing the device at the lampposts, he zapped all the lights out of them, perhaps to make sure he was not being watched. As the man put the device away, he heard a cat meow. He looked down and chuckled when he saw a tabby cat near him.

"I should have known that you would be here," he said, "Professor Allcroft."

The tabby cat walked up to the elderly man, and then it transformed into a middle-aged woman with short red hair.

"Good evening, Professor Awdry," she said. The two began to walk down the street a bit. "Are the rumors true, Wilbert?"

"I'm afraid so, Professor," said Professor Awdry. "The good, and the bad."

"And the boy?" asked Professor Allcroft

"Harvey Dubs is bringing him."

"Do you think it wise to trust Harvey with something as important as this?" asked Professor Allcroft, sounding rather concerned.

"Ah, Professor," said Professor Awdry. "I would trust Harvey with my life." he then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag of sweets. "Would you care for a jelly baby?"

"A what?"

"A jelly baby," explained Professor Awdry. "They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of. I purchased some from a rather odd gentleman wearing a long scarf."

"No, thank you," said Professor Allcroft politely. "I don't think this is a proper time to be eating sweets.."

Suddenly, the two Professors heard the sound of a motor. They looked up to see a flying motorcycle coming down from the air. It skidded on the street and halted. The rider, a rather large man dressed in burgundy, took off his goggles.

"Professor Awdry, Sir," he said. "Professor Allcroft."

"No problems, I trust, Harvey?" asked Professor Awdry.

"No, sir," said Harvey. "Little tyke fell asleep just as we were flying over Bristol. Try not to wake up." Harvey picked up something from the passenger sidecar of his motorcycle and handed it to Professor Awdry. It was a baby wrapped in a blue blanket

"Might I ask where you got the motorcycle?" asked Professor Awdry.

"I borrowed it, sir," said Harvey. "Young Henry Stanier lent it to me."

The 3 then walked up towards one of the houses.

"Wilbert, do you really think its safe, leaving him with these people?" asked Professor Allcroft. "I've been watching them all day. They're the worst sort of Muggles imaginable. They really are-"

"The only family he has," interrupted Professor Awdry.

"This boy will be famous," said Professor Allcroft. "There won't be a child in our world that doesn't know his name."

"Exactly," said Professor Awdry. "He's better off growing up away from all that, until he is ready."

Professor Awdry placed the baby on the welcome mat. Harvey sniffled as he wiped a tear.

"There there, Harvey," comforted Professor Awdry. "It's not really good-bye, after all."

He then took a letter and placed it on the baby. The baby had a visible lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

"Good luck... Thomas Billinton."

Thomas Billinton had to be raised by the Cravens; his uncle Nigel, aunt Nellie, and his cousin Tristan. They weren't very kind to him, nor were they abusive. They just saw him as another mouth to feed, and for some reason, considered him an outcast. One morning, almost ten years after he had been left on their doorstep, Thomas was asleep in his bedroom, which had been converted from a stairway cupboard. Then he heard a knocking on the door.

"Up," came a stern, demanding voice. "Get up."

It was his aunt Nellie, waking him up.

Groaning, Thomas got out of bed and opened the door.

"Get yourself presentable," said his aunt. "Don't forget what day this is." She then went into the kitchen.

"Tristan's birthday," sighed Thomas. He went back into his room and started getting his outfit of the day ready. At that moment, his cousin Tristan started coming down the stairs. He stopped before he could get to the bottom and raced back to half way, jumping up and down.

"Wake up, cousin!" he called. "We're going to the zoo!" Laughing, he raced back down stairs, shoving Thomas out of the way, and into the kitchen.

"Why do I put up with them?" Thomas grumbled to himself.

"Oh, here he comes," said the happy voice of his aunt. "The birthday boy!"

Walking into the kitchen, Thomas could see Tristan getting attention for his special day.

"Happy Birthday, son," smiled uncle Nigel.

 _If I could give him a present, it'd be a punch to the teeth_ , thought Thomas.

"Why don't you just cook the breakfast?" asked Nellie. "And try not to burn anything, please."

"Yes, Aunt Nellie," sighed Thomas, setting to work.

"I want everything to be perfect for my Tristan's special day," said Nellie, covering Tristan's eyes and leading him to the living room.

"Hurry up," said Nigel impatiently. "Bring my coffee, boy!"

"Yes, Uncle Nigel," said Thomas.

When they were in the living room, Nellie uncovered Tristan's eyes. Standing before him was a vast pile of presents.

"Aren't they wonderful, darling?" asked his mother.

"How many are there?" asked Tristan.

"Last I counted, there were thirty-six," said Nigel.

"Thirty-six?!" protested Tristan. "Last year I got thirty-seven!"

"Yes, well, some of them are quite a bit bigger than last year!" said Nigel trying to make the situation better.

"I don't care how big they are!"

"It's quite alright, pumpkin," said Nellie, trying to calm her son. "When we go out, we're going to buy you two new presents. How's that?"

After breakfast, the family went outside to the car, ready to go to the zoo. But before Thomas could get in, Nigel took him to the side to have a talk with him.

"I'm warning you now boy," he said sternly. "Any funny business, and you'll find yourself a week without meals."

Thomas nodded to what his uncle had said, and got into the car.

Before long, they were at the zoo in the Reptile House, looking at a boa constructor. At appeared to be sleeping.

"Make it move," complained Tristan. Nigel rapped on the glass.

"Move!" he called. But the snake didn't respond. So Tristan rapped even harder.

"MOVE!" he barked.

"He's asleep!" protested Thomas.

"He's boring," sulked Tristan.

Tristan and his parents went to look at the other reptiles while Thomas stayed behind with the boa constrictor, feeling rather sorry for it.

"Sorry about him," he said. "He doesn't understand what it's like; lying there day after day, having people press their ugly faces in on you."

To Thomas' surprise, the boa constrictor slithered a little closer to him.

"Can you...hear me?" asked Thomas, still surprised.

The boa constrictor nodded yes.

"I've never talked to a snake before," said Thomas. "Do you talk to people often?"

The boa constrictor shook its head.

"You're from Burma, aren't you?" asked Thomas. "Was it nice there, do you miss your family?"

The snake looked over towards a sign on its enclosure. The sign read "Bred in Captivity".

"I see," said Thomas quietly. "That's me as well. I never knew my parents, either. The only thing I _do_ know about them is that my aunt and uncle say they died in a car crash when I was a baby. I guess that's where I also go this scar on my forehead."

The now awake snake had attracted Tristan's attention. He ripped over to the cage, knocking Thomas to the floor.

"Mummy, dad, come here!" he called. "You won't believe what this snake is doing!"

Tristan eagerly pressed his hands against the glass, but suddenly, without warning, it vanished!

Without a glass to brace himself on, Tristan fell into the snake enclosure, sputtering in a pool of water. The snake slithered out of the exhibit, stopping in front of Thomas.

"Thankssssssss," it hissed.

"Er, you're welcome," said Thomas, quite unsure what the snake was thanking him for.

The snake then slithered away, scaring people as it did so.

Tristan got himself up and went to get out of the enclosure, but the glass had come back. He was stuck!

"Mum! Mummy!" he cried, pounding on the glass.

When Nellie saw her son trapped in the snake enclosure, she screamed bloody murder.

"My baby!" she cried.

Nigel was shocked by the scene, and glared angrily at his nephew after seeing him chuckle.

A little while later, they returned home. Nellie took Tristan inside wrapped in a blanket while Nigel, who was cross at Thomas for somehow getting Tristan in danger, had a talk with him.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"I swear I don't know!" protested Thomas. "One minute the glass was there and then it was gone! It was like magic!"

Nigel angrily pushed Thomas into his cupboard and locked the door.

"There's no such thing as magic," he snarled, before closing the vent.

Thomas only sighed. How _did_ that glass vanish and return? Why was _he_ blamed for it. Just what on earth was going on?


	2. Mysterious Letters and Destinies Reveale

Chapter 2: Mysterious Letters and Destinies Revealed

Some time after the Zoo incident, it was getting close for Thomas and Tristan to be starting school. Tristan would be going to a fancy school called South Coast Academy, while Thomas would go to a regular state school.

That morning, Thomas had been forced to pick up the mail at the front door. Strangely enough, there was a letter addressed to him. He kept it aside while he handed the rest to Nigel.

"Oh dear," he sighed, reading a letter. "Diane is ill. Ate a funny whelk."

When Tristan noticed Thomas's letter, he snatched it and showed it to his father.

"Dad, look!" he cried. "Thomas has a letter!"

"Give it back to me! It's mine!" cried Thomas.

"Yours?" chuckled Nigel. "Who would be sending letters to you?" He stopped chuckling when he looked at the letter.

It was addressed to "Mr. T. Billinton, The Cupboard under the stairs. 4 Terrier Grove Brighton." On the back of the letter was a seal that looked like a shield split in four colored sections; Red, Green, Blue, Yellow. Nellie and Tristan noticed it too. They looked at Thomas, who gulped nervously.

The next day, they received more letters for Thomas. Nigel torn them and screwed a board onto the letter flap.

"No more mail through this letterbox." he said proudly.

But I'm afraid it didn't stop. One morning, while Nellie was cracking eggs into a bowl, each Egg had a letter for Thomas in it. Looking out the window, Nellie saw a flock of owls outside and panicked.

The next day, Nigel was on his way to work. He was most annoyed to find a flock of owls resting on top of his car. Some had even left presents on it!

"Shoo!" he shouted. "Bugger off!"

Then Nellie tapped her husband's shoulder and pointed to the letters on the ground. More for Thomas. That night, Nigel was tossing more of the letters into a fireplace. Thomas came from a corner and saw what he was doing, but said nothing about it.

"Nothing to mind, said Nigel. "Just junk mail."

But deep inside, Thomas felt like Nigel was lying. Just what was in those letters? Why didn't they want him to read them?

One Sunday morning, Nigel was feeling rather happy.

"Fine day, Sunday," he said smugly. "Why are Sundays the best, Tristan?"

When Tristan didn't answer, Thomas asked "Because there's no post on Sundays?"

"Right you are, Thomas!" chuckled Nigel. "No post on Sundays. Ha!"

While Nigel was boasting about Sunday, Thomas looked out the window and saw a huge flock of owls.

Before he could say anymore, however, a letter flew in from the chimney and smacked him in the face.

"No, sir! Not one blasted letter!" continued Nigel.

Before he could say anymore, however, a letter flew in from the chimney and smacked him in the face.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, there was a rumbling noise. And out of the fireplace shot out zillions of letters! All of them for Thomas!

They popped up from everywhere; through the letterbox, the windows, and they even found their way in the toaster!

"Make it stop!" cried Tristan. "Please make it stop!"

During the chaos, Thomas jumped onto the coffee table and grabbed a falling letter, bolting to his cupboard.

"Give me that letter!" shouted Nigel, giving chase.

"They're my letters!" shouted Thomas.

"That's it!" shouted Nigel. "We're going away! Far away! Where they can't find us!"

"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?!" asked Tristan.

Nellie said nothing. She was still in shock over what was happening.

That night, the family borrowed a boat and rowed all the way to a house on the middle of the sea. Nellie, Nigel, and Tristan were fast asleep, but Thomas was still wide awake.

You see, at the stroke of midnight, it would be his birthday. And at the moment, he was making a pretend cake out of the sand on the ground. Just then, he heard Tristan's watch beeping. It was now Midnight.

"Make a wish, Thomas," Thomas said to himself, blowing out the pretend candles.

Suddenly, there was a great bang at the door.

This startled the family awake; Nigel picked up a shotgun to prepare himself for self-defense.

"Who's there?" he demanded.

The door broke from its hinges and fell the ground with a loud thud, and out of the rain was Harvey Dubs.

"Sorry about that."

He lifted the door up and put it back on its hinges.

"I demand that you leave at once, Sir!" demanded Nigel. "You are breaking and entering!"

Harvey walked firmly over to Nigel and Nellie.

"Dry up, Craven, you great prune!" he snapped, bending the gun upwards.

Nigel fired the rifle, but it blew a hole in the roof due to its bending. Harvey then went over to Tristan and Thomas.

"Mind, I haven't seen you since you was a baby, Thomas," he said, "but you're a bit more along than I would have expected. Particularly 'round the middle."

"I, um, I-I'm not Thomas," said Tristan.

" _I_ am," said Thomas bravely.

"Oh, well, of course you are!" said Harvey, correcting himself. "Got something for ya. Afraid I might have sat on it at some point, but I imagine that it'll taste fine just the same." He handed Thomas a white box with a ribbon on it. "Baked it myself. Words and all."

Thomas opened the box, and there was a cake which was meant to read "HAPPY BIRTHDAY THOMAS".

"Thank you."

"It's not every day that your young man turns eleven, now is it?" asked Harvey. Sitting down on the couch, Harvey took out some sort of umbrella and pointed it at the empty fireplace. Shooting two sparks out of the umbrella, the fire roared to life.

"Excuse me," said Thomas, setting the cake on a table, "who are you?"

"Harvey Dubs," said Harvey. "Keeper of keys and grounds at Sodor. Course, you'll know all about Sodor."

"Not really," said Thomas, a bit confused by the name.

"What do you mean?" asked Harvey. "Didn't you ever wonder where your mum and dad learned it all?"

"Well... no."

"You're a wizard, Thomas," said Harvey.

"I-I'm a what?" asked Thomas.

"A wizard," said Harvey. "And a thumping good one at that, I'd wager. Once you train up a little."

"I'm sorry, but I can't be a wizard," said Thomas. "I'm... just Thomas. Just Thomas."

"Well, Just Thomas," said Harvey. "Did you ever make anything happen? Anything you couldn't explain when you were angry or scared?"

Harvey then handed Thomas the exact same letter had been getting for the past while.

Thomas opened the letter and read into it:

'Dear, Mr. Billinton. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Sodor's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!'

"He'll not be going!" protested Nigel. "We swore when we took him in we'd put an end to this rubbish!"

"You knew?" asked Thomas indignantly. "You knew all along and you never told me?"

"Of course we knew," sniffed Nellie. "How could you not be? My _perfect_ sister being who she was. Oh, my mother and father were so proud the day she got her letter. We have a witch in the family. Isn't it wonderful?" she was of course being sarcastic at this. "I was the only one to see her for what she was. A freak! And then she met that Billinton, and then she had you, and I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as ... abnormal. And then, if you please, she went and got herself murdered! And we got landed with you."

"Murdered? You told me my parents died in a car crash!"

"A car crash?" asked Harvey, sounding cross. "A car crash kill Payne and Marie Billinton?"

"Well, we had to say something," insisted Nellie.

"This is an outrage!" cried Harvey. "A scandal, is what it is!"

"He will not be going!" insisted Nigel.

"And I suppose a self-righteous Muggle like you is gonna stop him?" retorted Harvey.

"Muggle?" Thomas was rather confused by this new word.

"Non-magic folk," explained Harvey. He then returned his attention to Nigel and Nellie. "This boy's had his name down ever since he was born! He's going to the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world, and he'll be under the greatest headmaster Sodor has ever seen: Wilbert Awdry."

"I will not pay to have some crackpot old fool teach him magic tricks!" snapped Nigel. That was a big mistake, as Harvey threatening pointed his umbrella at him.

"Never," he said threateningly, "insult Wilbert Awdry in front of me." He looked over and noticed Tristan eating some of Thomas's cake. Deciding to teach the family a lesson, he pointed his umbrella at Tristan's backside, and a grey pig's tail grew out. Tristan and his parents screamed in horror, but Thomas found the situation most amusing.

"I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone at Sodor about that," said Harvey. "Strictly speaking, I'm not allowed to do magic."

"Fair enough," said Thomas. Harvey then looked at his pocket watch.

"Ooh, we're a bit behind schedule," he said. "Best be off." He then opened the door before turning back to Thomas. "Unless you'd rather stay, of course."

Thomas did some thinking; would he rather stay with a family that treats him like dirt, or go to a Wizard school for a chance of happiness?

"Lead the way," he said at last.


	3. The Boy Who Lived

Chapter Three: The Boy Who Lived

Thomas and Harvey boarded a subway to London. People were rather startled by how big Harvey was, but they were polite not to say anything about it. Thomas was reading part of his letter.

"First-year students will require: Three sets of plain work robes, One wand..." Thomas looked up at Harvey.

"Essential bit of equipment, Thomas," said Harvey.

"One pair of protective dragon's hide gloves..." Thomas stopped reading in surprise. "Harvey, do they mean from a real dragon?"

"Well they don't mean a penguin, do they?" asked Harvey. "I'd sure love to have a dragon."

"You'd love a dragon?" asked Thomas, not sure if Harvey was talking crazy.

"Vastly misunderstood beasts, Thomas," said Harvey. "Vastly misunderstood."

When the subway stopped, Thomas and Harvey got out and began walking along a street as Thomas read more of the requirements.

"All students must be equipped with...one standard size two pewter cauldron and may bring if they desire either an owl, a cat or a toad." Thomas looked up to his large new friend. "Can we find all this in London?"

"If you know where to go," said Harvey.

They two went inside a building known as The Leaky Cauldron. Inside, it looked like a usual British pub. Unlike many pubs Thomas had heard about, every beverage in the Leaky Cauldron was non-alcoholic.

"Alcohol and magic don't mix," explain Harvey. "That's why it's important that wizards and witches stay sober."

"Morning, Harvey," said Salty Ruston, the barkeep. "The usual, I presume?"

"No thanks, Salty," said Harvey. "I'm on official Sodor business today. Just helping young Thomas here buy his school supplies."

The moment Harvey said Thomas' name, many people stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.

"Bless my soul," whispered Salty. "It's Thomas Billinton."

Welcome back, Mr. Billinton," said a man, shaking Thomas's hand. "Welcome back."

"Madge Scarab, Mr. Billinton," said a woman, shaking Thomas's hand as well. "I can't believe I'm meeting you at last."

The next person for Thomas to meet was a gentlemen dressed in green with blonde hair.

"Thomas B-Billinton," he stuttered. "C-can't tell you how pleased I am to meet you."

"Hello, Professor," said Harvey. "I didn't see you there. Thomas, this is Professor Bowler. He'll be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Sodor."

Thomas offered his hand out, but was surprised that Bowler, for some reason or other, didn't shake it.

"F-fearfully fascinating subject," said Bowler, referring to Defense Against the Dark Arts. "N-not that you need it, e-eh, Billinton?"

"Yes, well, must be going now," said Harvey. "Lots to buy."

"Goodbye," said Thomas to Bowler.

Thomas followed Harvey into a backroom. In front of them was a brick wall.

"See, Thomas?" asked Harvey. "You're famous!"

"But why, Harvey?" asked Thomas. "Why am I famous? All those people back there, how is it they know who I am?"

"I'm not exactly sure I'm the right person to tell you that, Thomas," said Harvey. Taking out the umbrella, Harvey tapped on the brick wall clockwise. The blocks shifted and opened up to reveal a hidden, busy street.

"Welcome, Thomas, to Croven's Gate Alley."

Thomas was amazed at what he was seeing. There were many shops that sold magical artifacts, sweets, even pets.

"But I haven't got any money," said Thomas.

"Well there's your money," said Harvey, pointing at a large bank. "Brendam, the Wizard Bank. "No place safer, except perhaps Sodor."

Inside the bank, they walked down the shiny aisle, passing tiny creatures working.

"Uh, Harvey," asked Thomas, "what exactly are those things?"

"They're goblins," explained Harvey. "Not the most friendly of creatures, mind."

At last, they approached a goblin, whom we're going to call Scruffy, writing at a counter. Harvey got his attention by clearing his throat.

"Mr. Thomas Billinton wishes to make a withdrawal," said Harvey.

Scruffy put his quill into the ink bottle and looked over his desk at Thomas.

"And does Mr. Billinton have his key?" he asked.

"Hold on," said Harvey, fishing in his pocket. "I've got it here somewhere." Harvey pulled out various objects from his pocket; chicken legs, gum wrappers, even a kitchen sink. At last, he pulled out a key. "Aha! Here's the little devil."

He then gave the key to Scruffy.

"Oh, and there's something else as well." Harvey also handed Scruffy a letter wrapped in string labeled "Top Secret". "Professor Awdry gave me this. It's about you-know-what in vault you-know-which."

"Very well," said Scruffy. He got down from his counter and walked over to a door. Out of curiosity, Harvey looked at what Scruffy had been looking on. But instead of important documents, he could only see a childish crayon drawing of a house. There was even a smiling sun.

The three were soon racing down the depth caverns in a cartlike structure. The cart stopped by a vault and Scruffy clambered out.

"Vault 687," he said. "Lamp, please."

Harvey handed it over to Scruffy.

"Key please."

Harvey handed Scruffy the key. He then used it to unlock a vault. When the vault opened, Thomas gasped in amazement at what he saw.

"Whoa!"

The fault was packed from the top to the bottom with coins; ranging from Copper, to silver, to gold.

"Didn't think your mum and dad would leave you with nothing, now did you?" asked Harvey. "Knuts, Sickles, and Galleons as far as the eye can see." When Thomas looked rather puzzled, Harvey realized that he was used to regular British currency.

"This is Wizard's currency. One Knut is worth around £.03, one Sickle is worth around £1, and one Galleon is close to £17."

Eventually, the three came up to another vault.

"Vault 713," said Scruffy.

"What's in there, Harvey?" asked Thomas.

"Important business for Sodor," was all Harvey would explain.

Scruffy took out a key and unlocked the door. When the door opened, all three were quite surprised; inside was a bunch of goblins having a disco party.

"Oops," chuckled Scruffy sheepishly. "My mistake. This is Vault 7 _12_. We've been using it for Disco night."

Thomas and Harvey were still humming some of the music and dancing a bit when Scruffy led them to Vault 713.

"Ahem!" Scruffy cleared his throat to get their attention. "We're here at the _real_ Vault 713 now. Stand back."

Scruffy slide his finger down the door. With a few clanks, the vault door opened, exposing a small, white stone-shaped package. Harvey quickly picked it up.

"Best not mention this to anyone, Thomas," said Harvey. He then put the package in his pocket.

A little later, after buying some supplies, Thomas was looking over his list.

"I still need a wand," he said.

"A wand?" asked Harvey. "Well, you'll want Victor's. No place better. Run along there, but wait. I just got one more thing I got to do. Won't be long."

Harvey went along to another shop as Thomas went inside. There were shelves of wands, but no people in sight.

"Hello?" he called, hoping someone would come to him.

At that moment, he heard a crash in the back room.

"Kevin!" scolded a voice. "How many times have I told you to be careful?"

"Sorry, boss!" said the other person. "Slip of the wand again!"

Suddenly Victor, a Hispanic man dressed in red slid over on a ladder. He took one look at Thomas and smiled.

"I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Mr. Billinton," smiled Victor, picking up a small box. "It seems only yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their first wands."

Victor took a wand out of the box and held it out. "Beechwood and Dragon heartstring, 9 inches. Nice and flexible." He then handed the wand to Thomas. "Give it a wave to test it out."

Thomas did, but that caused some shelves to fly off of their drawers. Flinching, Thomas put the wand down on the front desk.

"Apparently not," said Victor whilst Kevin went to clear up the mess.

"Perhaps this one," said Victor, getting out a second wand. "Ebony and unicorn hair, 8 and a half inches. Springy."

After Thomas waved his wand, it caused a glass jar to shatter, making Thomas wince once more.

"No. No, definitely not," said Victor. "No matter."

Picking up a third box, Victor looked at the wand inside.

"I wonder," he thought to himself, before handing it to Thomas. "Holly and Phoenix Feather, 11 inches. Nice and supple."

Instead of causing things the break, the wand caused Thomas to glow a bit. There was no denying it. The wand had chosen him.

"Curious," remarked Victor. "Very curious."

"Sorry," said Thomas, "but what's curious?"

"I remember every wand my father and I have ever sold, Mr. Billinton," said Victor. "It just so happens that the phoenix, whose tail feather resides in your wand gave one other feather, just one. It is curious that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar." He pointed to the scar on Thomas's forehead.

"And...who owned that wand?" asked Thomas, a bit nervous at the thought.

"We don't speak his name," said Kevin. "The wand chooses the wizard."

"It's not always clear why," said Victor, "but I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things...terrible, yes, but great."

Just then, there was a knock the window.

"Thomas! Thomas!" It was Harvey. "Happy Birthday!"

In Harvey's hand was a cage. In the cage was the most adorable Barn Owl Thomas had ever seen.

"She's beautiful," said Thomas.

"Her name is Pepper," said Harvey. "And she's your's."

That evening, Thomas and Harvey returned to the Leaky Cauldron for some supper. As they were eating, Harvey noticed that Thomas seemed quiet about something.

"There something on your mind?" he asked.

"He killed my parents, didn't he?" asked Thomas. "The one who gave me this." he put a hand on his scar.

Harvey sighed. "It's important that you understand this, Thomas," he said. "Not all wizards are good. Some of them go bad. A few years ago there was one wizard who went as bad as you can go. And his name was D-..." Harvey seemed to freeze a bit as he tried to say the name. "...his name was D-..."

"Maybe if you wrote it down?"

"No..." Harvey then whispered loud enough so only Thomas could hear, "Diesel Ten."

"Diesel Ten?"

"Shh!" hushed Harvey. "It was dark times, Thomas, dark times."

Harvey began his story.

Ten years prior, a hooded figure with wicked claw for a hand walked through the darkness.

"Diesel Ten started to gather some followers," Harvey narrated. "Brought 'em over to the dark side. Anyone that stood up to him ended up dead."

Diesel Ten approached a house with its lights on. Using his wand, he opened the door and began to terrorize.

Inside the house was a 21-year-old woman with brownish-blond hair and her one-year-old child, a baby Thomas.

"I don't care what you do to me!" she shouted to Diesel Ten. "But leave my baby alone!"

She slammed the door on Diesel Ten and held Thomas close as the Dark Lord broke the door open with his magic.

"Your parents fought against him with other brave witches and wizards," narrated Harvey, "but nobody lived once he decided to kill them. "

The Dark Lord then pointed his wand at Thomas' mother and killed her with a spell. The only one left alive in that house was little baby Thomas. Diesel Ten pointed his wand at the infant, as if to fire a spell at him.

"Nobody," narrated Harvey, "not one. Except you, the one he had come for in the first place."

The flashback ended as Thomas looked very spooked.

 _Me_?" he asked quietly. "Diesel Ten tried to kill _me_?"

"Yes," said Harvey. "That's no ordinary cut on your forehead, Thomas. A mark like that only comes from being touched by a curse...and an evil curse at that."

"Whatever happened to 'him'?" asked Thomas.

"Some say he died," said Harvey. "Others say he's still out there, too tired to go on. But one thing's absolutely certain. Something about you stumped him that night. That's why you're famous, Thomas. That's why everybody knows your name. You're the boy who lived."

 _The boy who lived?_ thought Thomas. _Amazing..._


	4. All Aboard for Sodor

Chapter Four: All Aboard for Sodor

The next morning, Harvey and Thomas made their way down to the train station so Thomas could catch the train that would take him to Sodor.

"Blimey, is that the time?" asked Harvey in surprise, looking at his watch. "Sorry, Thomas, I'm gonna have to leave you. Awdy'll be wanting his... er, well, he'll be wanting to see me." He then handed Thomas a train ticket. "Your train leaves in 10 minutes. Here's your ticket. Stick to it, Thomas, that's very important. Stick to your ticket."

Thomas looked at his ticket.

"Platform 9 ¾?" Clearly this had to be a typo.

"But Harvey," said Thomas. "There must be a mistake. This says Platform 9 ¾. There's no such thing...is there?"

But Harvey had mysteriously disappeared.

Thomas looked up and down the lanes, trying to find his platform. At last, he came across a station master.

"Excuse me!" called Thomas. "Can you tell me where I might find Platform 9 ¾?"

"9 ¾" the stationmaster scoffed. "You trying to be funny, boy?"

Thomas was feeling like giving up when he heard a woman's voice.

"It's the same year after year," the voice grumbled. "Always packed with Muggles, of course."

"Muggles?" murmured Thomas. He looked over and noticed a woman dressed with green leading about 4 or 5 children along.

"Come along," she called to them. "Platform 9 ¾ this way!"

Amongst the children were two near identical twins of thirteen, a girl of twelve, and a boy of eleven.

"All right, Stafford," said the woman. "You first."

The eldest boy, wearing brown, came forward with his trolley and charged towards the brick wall between platforms 9 and 10. But instead of crashing into it, he vanished right through it. Thomas was amazed.

"Donald," said the woman, turning to one of the twins wearing black. "You're next."

"He's not, Donald, _I_ am," said the other twin with a Scottish Accent.

"Honestly, Mrs. Avonside," said the first twin, also with a Scottish Accent. "you call yourself our caretaker."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Douglas," said Mrs. Avonside.

"I'm just joking," said the first twin. "I _am_ Donald."

With that, the two twins charged at the wall, vanishing just like Stafford.

"Excuse me!" called Thomas, catching up.

"Yes, young man?"

"Could you tell me how to..." Thomas pointed over to the wall.

"How to get on the platform?" asked Mrs. Avonside, understanding what Thomas meant. "Not to worry, dear. It's Percy's first time to Sodor as well."

The boy in green waved.

"Now," said Mrs. Avonside, "All you've got to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous." She then turned to the girl in emerald green. "Emily dear, you're next. Mind showing him how it's done?"

"Good luck," said Emily. She charged through the wall with her trolley, and just like the others, vanished inside of it.

Nervously, Thomas charged at the wall and walked through it. On the other side of the wall was a magnificent station and bundles of people. Standing next to the platform was a majestic steam locomotive. It was a red LSWR N15 with black wheels and had five coaches in a matching livery.

"Wow," Thomas breathed. Suddenly, Percy came out through the wall as well, bumping his trolley into Thomas's.

"Whoa!"

"Sorry about that!" said Percy.

"It's alright," said Thomas. "I wasn't paying attention either."

"I'm Percy, by the way. Percy Avonside."

Then he took a look at the scar on Thomas' forehead.

"No way!" he cried. "You're Thomas Billinton!"

"Thomas Billinton?"

The two boys turned to find a girl of eleven with black hair.

"I'm Mavis Drewry," said the girl. She then looked to Percy. "And you are..."

"I'm Percy Avonside," said Percy.

"You've got dirt, on your nose, by the way, did you know?" asked Mavis.

Percy looked at Mavis in confusion, but then rubbed the dirt off of his nose.

"We'd better get on board before we miss the train," said Thomas.

Before long, the Sodor Express was steaming through the Country Side. Thomas was in a compartment in one of the coaches by himself, watching the scenery.

"Hey," Percy called to him. "Do you mind if I come in? Everywhere else is full."

"Be my guest," smiled Thomas. "I could use some company."

So Percy sat in the seat across from Thomas.

"Were those other kids with you and your mom your siblings?" asked Thomas.

"Nah," said Percy. "I've got an older sister, though."

"Where's she?" asked Thomas.

"She's away visiting another country," said Percy. "As for the others you saw me with, my parents and I run a sort of Boarding House. They live with us and feel like parts of the family."

Just then, a woman pushing a trolley full of sweets came up to them.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" she asked.

"No thanks," sighed Percy, holding up a bagged sandwich. "I'm good."

Thomas could see that Percy really wanted something off the trolley. So, he decided to help him out.

"We'll take the lot," he said, pulling a handful of Galleons out of his pocket.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Percy.

Before long, the two were enjoying the sugary feast of kings.

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans?" asked Thomas, reading a box.

"You can even taste a chair if you're lucky," said Percy.

"You mean there's literally _every_ flavor possible?" asked Thomas, a bit disturbed.

"They mean _every_ flavor!" said Percy. "There's chocolate and peppermint, and there's also spinach, liver and tripe. Douglas swore he got a bogey-flavored one once!"

"Ick."

Thomas then picked up another box that read "Chocolate Frogs".

"These aren't real frogs, are they?" he asked.

"It's only a spell," said Percy. "Besides, it's the cards you want. Each pack's got a famous witch or wizard. I got about 500 myself."

"I've got Awdry!" exclaimed Thomas, picking his first card.

"I got about 6 of him," said Percy.

"Really?" said Thomas, opening his Chocolate Frog.

"Hey, look out!" cried Percy.

The Chocolate Frog jumped out of its package, and out of an opened window.

"Well, that's rotten luck," said Percy.

Thomas looked back at his card and noticed that the picture of Awdry was gone.

"Hey, he's gone!" cried Thomas.

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day, can you?" asked Percy.

Thomas then noticed a rat on Percy's lap with a little box on its head.

"This is Cheddar, by the way," said Percy. "Pitiful, isn't he?"

"Just a little bit," said Thomas.

"Donald once taught me a spell that can turn him yellow," said Percy. "Wanna see?"

"Sure."

Percy got out his wand and cleared his throat. "Sun-"

But before he could perform the spell, Mavis came in.

"Has anyone seen a toad?" she asked. "A boy named Luke has lost one."

"Sorry," said Percy.

"Are you about to perform some magic?" asked Mavis with interest. "Let's see then."

"Alright," said Percy. "Watch this - _Sunshine daisies, butter mellow... turn this stupid fat rat yellow!_ "

Percy zapped Cheddar with his wand, but nothing happened. Mavis looked unimpressed.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" she asked. "Well, it's not very good, is it? Of course I've only tried a few simple spells myself, and they've all worked for me."

Percy was feeling a bit jealous and irritated.

"Oh yeah, Little Miss Showoff?" he asked. "Care to enlighten us with an example?"

Before Mavis could say anything, they heard a thud on the hallway.

"What was that?" asked Thomas.

"Must be another student," said Mavis.

And it was. A fellow student named Whiff had tripped and fallen into the floor, breaking his glasses.

"Observe," said Mavis, pointing her wand at Whiff's glasses. " _Oculus Reparo._ "

Suddenly, Whiff's glasses looked as though they'd never been broken.

"Wow, thanks!" he said.

"Don't mention it," said Mavis. She then turned to Thomas and Percy. "You two better change into your robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon."

Nightfall came when they arrived at Ulfstead Station. Harvey was standing there with a lamp shining.

"Right, then!" he called. "First years this way, please! Come on, now, don't be shy! "

"Hi there, Harvey!" Thomas called out to him through the carriage window.

"Whoa!" said Percy, upon seeing the tall bloke.

"Right then," said Harvey. "This way to the boats!"

Soon, all the first year students were on the boats, led by Harvey.

The boats floated across a vast lake, where up ahead stood a huge castle.

"Wow," breathed Thomas. This was his new home for the next few months. Sodor's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


End file.
